Picker-stick motion for looms.



No. 741,170. PATENTED 001*. 13, 1903.

' 0. A. SAW-YER.

PIGKER STICK MOTION FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1903p N0 MODEL.

i: 5 i 1! ii mm; nrh i AM -i NITED STATES Patented October 13, 1903.

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ORREN A. SAWYER, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COMPANY,OF I-IOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PICKER -STICK MOTION FOR LOOWIS.

SEEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,170, dated October13, 1903.

Application filed May 18, 1903. Serial No. 157,615. (No model.)

To @U whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORREN A. SAWYER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Lowell, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Picker-Stick Motions for Looms, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention relates more particularly to that portion of thepicker-stick motion of a loom which is sometimes termed the parallelmotion. This term is usually applied to the rigid flat stand or supportand the segmental shoe which rocks thereupon and which is secured to thelower end of the picker-stick, a strap connecting a spring with thelatter near its bottom and tending to hold the stick down and toward theend of the lay. This strap is liable to break in the operation of theloom, and when it does the pickerstick is very apt to rise up throughthe slot in the lay under the impulse of the lug-strap. Then as thestick has no longer anything to hold it in place it may be thrown intothe shuttle or into various parts of the hopper mechanism in anautomatic filling-replenishing loom by the action of the lay, resultingin a smash.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of means to preventthe pickerstick from rising as described, and this is attained by theuse of a simple and, effective guard on the picker-stick.

Another object of my invention is the improvement of the construction ofthe shoesupporting stand whereby the usually nonmetallic plug therein(which serves as a hearing for the picker-stick against the pull of thelug-strap) can be readily removed and a new one quickly inserted whennecessary. As is well known to those skilled in the art, such a plug isemployed to reduce wear on the picker-stick at the part thereof inengagement with the plug.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described inthe subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in thefollowing claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the righthand side of a loom providedwith automatic filling-replenishing mechanism with one embodiment of mypresent invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, infront elevation and partly broken out, of the par-v allel motionillustrated in Fig. 1 and showing more clearly the guard and downholdfor the picker-stick. Fig. 3 is a right-hand end elevation of the partsshown in Fig. 2;, and Fig. 4 is a top or plan View of theshoe-supporting stand, to be referred to.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a loom provided withautomatic filling-replenishing mechanism, as it is particularly usefulin such connection; but it is to be understood and will be manifesthereinafter that my invention is not restricted in its use to automaticlooms.

Referring to Fig. 1, the loom side A, lay A the picker-stick P, movablein the usual slot in the lay, and the lug-strap L, connecting the stickwith the pick-motion, (partly shown at P may be and are all ofwell-known or usual construction, and I have shown a filling feeder orhopper F for the filling-carriers b mounted on the breast-beam at oneside of the loom, substantially as in United States Patent No. 529,940.

The picker-stick near its lower end is at tached by a bolt 2 to a shoe0, having a curved sole 0, the stick extending down below the bottom ofthe shoe, which latter rests upon and rocks on the flat top of a standD, rigidly secured outside the loom side to the lay rockershaft AFig. 1. Referring to Fig. 4, this stand is shown as bifurcated or forkedat its outer end, the inner end of the open slot D, formed between thesides d, being recessed or having a pocket at 01 Figs. 2 and 4, toreceive a plug (1, usually of wood, the outer end of the plug acting asa bearing for the pickerstick against the pull of the lug-strap,theloottom 19 of the picker-stick extending below the shoe and passingdown through the slot D. A spring S of usual construction is mounted onthe stand D, the free end-of the spring being attached by a strap 3 to ahook p on the depending part 19 of the picker-stick, the strap passingover the curved outer face of such part, as shown. The outer end of thesole of the shoe 0 rests on the separated ends (1 of the stand D.Beneath these ends (1 I have mounted a guard or downhold on the part];

of the picker-stick, such downhold being conveniently made of twosufficiently thick blocks g of leather or other suitable material onopposite sides of the part and held securely thereon by a headed bolt 3and nut 4, Fig. 3. Should the strap sbreak or the connection between thepicker-stick and spring S be ruptured in any way, it will be manifestthat the downhold acting against the under side of the part d of thestand D will effectually prevent the picker-stick from rising and doingany damage either to the shuttle or to the hopper F or thefilling-carriers therein on the forward beat of the lay.

Usually the picker-stick depends below the shoe and enters a hole in thestand or shoesupport, the strap from the spring passing up through thehole and being held by the bolt which connects the stick and shoe.

When it is necessary or desirable to renew the wooden bearing-plug, itis necessary to remove this bolt, disconnecting the stick and shoe, andwithdraw the stick and strap from the hole in the stand, after which anew plug isinserted and the parts reassembled. With the constructionherein described, however, it is only necessary to remove the strap 8from the hook p and then to pull the connectedstick and shoe bodilyoutward along the slot D, leaving a free space for the renewal of thebearing-plug d. The labor and time of the loom fixer is greatly reducedthereby, and the loom is put out of operation a correspondingly shortertime.

In order to facilitate the removal of the plug, I have provided thestand D with a small hole 6, Figs. 2 and 4, opening into the recess (V,by means of which an awl or other pointed tool may be inserted to assistin loosening the plug. The stand has an upturned guide-lug (1 whichenters an opening 0 in the shoe, and the latter is shown as providedwith a downturned extension 0 which passes through the slot D and bearsagainst the plug d, substantially as usual.

Having fully described my invention, what I claimas new,and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, a picker-stick and its attachedshoe, a stand on which the latter rocks, a spring connection between thestand and picker-stick, and a downhold secured on the latterindependently of the shoe to cooperate with the bottom of the stand nearits outer end upon rupture of such connection and prevent lifting of thepicker-stick.

2. In a device of the class described, a picker-stick and its attachedshoe, a stand on which the latter rocks, the stand having an openingthrough which the lower end of the picker-stick extends,a bearing forthe pickerstick at the inner end of said opening, a spring connectionbetween the stand and pickerstick, and a downhold on the lower end ofthe latter beneath the stand, to cooperate with the latter independentlyof the bearing and prevent lifting of the picker-stick upon breakage ofthe spring connection.

3. In a device of the class described, a picker-stick and its attachedshoe, a stand on which the latter rocks, the stand having an openingthrough which the lower end of the picker-stick extends, a springconnection between the stand and picker-stick, and nonmetallic downholdmembers rigidly secured to the end of the picker-stick on opposite sidesthereof beneath the stand,to cooperate therewith and prevent lifting ofthe picker-stick upon rupture of the spring connection.

4:. In a device of the class described, a picker-stick and its attachedshoe, a stand on which the latter rocks, said stand having alongitudinal slot in its outer end, the inner end of the slot beingrecessed and its outer end open, and a removable bearing-plug insertedin the recessed end of the slot.

5. In a device of the class described, a stand having an elongated,longitudinal slot open at one end and recessed at the opposite end, apicker-stick and its attached shoe, the latter rocking on the stand andsaid stick having its lower end extended into the slot, a bearing-plugremovably held in the recessed end of the latter, and a springconnection between the stand and picker-stick, disengagement of saidconnection enabling the shoe and attached stick to be drawn outward onthe stand for renewal of the plug.

6. In a device of the class described, a picker-stick and an attachedshoe, a stand on which the latter rocks, said stand being bifurcated atits outer end, a downturned extension below the shoe entering thebifurcated part of the stand, a spring on the latter, a strap detachablyconnecting the free end of the spring and the picker-stick independentlyof the shoe, a removable bearingplug in the stand, to support thepickerstick against the pull of the lug-strap, and a downhold or guardon the downturned extension beneath the stand, to prevent lifting of thepicker-stick upon breakage of the spring-strap, the bifurcation of thestand permitting bodily removal of the pickerstick and shoe whilesecured together when renewal of the plug is necessary.

In testimony whereof I have signed 111 name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ORREN A. SAWYER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM C. TROMBLY, ANNA T. HALLORAN.

